Mark Zuckerberg
and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have laid out plans to invest $3bn over
the next 10 years with the not insignificant goal of tackling all
diseases.
“Can we cure, prevent or manage all disease by the end of this
century?” asked Zuckerberg, speaking in front of a packed lecture
theater at the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) William J
Rutter Center.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
will focus on some of the world’s biggest killers, including heart
disease, cancer, infectious diseases and neurological diseases.
One of its biggest investments is to be a $600m “Biohub” at UCSF,
which will bring together scientists and engineers from Stanford,
Berkeley and UCSF – who haven’t collaborated in this way before – to
develop tools to treat diseases.
The second focus will be transformative technology, all of which will be made available to all scientists everywhere.
“Throughout the history of science, most of the major scientific
breakthroughs have been preceded by some new tool and technology that
allows you to see in new ways,” explained Zuckerberg. “The telescope
helped us understand astronomy and the universe, the microscope helped
us understand cells and bacteria to help us develop treatments for
infectious diseases, while DNA sequencing and editing helps us fight
cancer and genetic disorders.”
Zuckerberg suggested that artificial intelligence could help with
brain imaging to treat neurological diseases, machine learning could be
used to analyse cancer genomes, and chips and blood monitors could
identify diseases quickly. “These are the kinds of tools we want to
focus on building at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative,” he said.
The acclaimed American neurobiologist Cornelia Bargmann,
who will lead the initiative, gave the example of a “cell atlas”, a
comprehensive resource that maps the locations, types and molecular
properties of all of the cells in the human body.
“We need this to develop new understanding and cures for diseases in all areas of medicine,” she said.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a limited liability company that
the couple uses to make donations and investments to advance their
philanthropic causes. It was launched at the birth of the couple’s first
daughter, Max, in December 2015. The couple has committed 99% of their Facebook stock, valued at $45bn, to the initiative, which makes charitable donations and for-profit investments.
Read full story…!!! here…!!!
i think it will help mental illness like sz…!!!
That’s good of them 
Thanks for sharing
Three billion dollars? Wow. I hope they choose wisely the recipients of such a large sum of money. Anyway this is exciting news!
Curing most diseases has already been done…see the video below.
‘Jason Vale – Super Juice Me!’ Documentary.
So glad that the guy from Facebook is going to donate so much money. I wonder where schizophrenia falls on the priority list of disease to cure? I think the suffering and disability possibly even mortality is up there with some of the big Ones like cancer and heart disease. Maybe some of that money will make its way to stem cell therapies, who knows?
What evidence do you have to support this claim?
Great article! Thanks for sharing
1515151515…!!!
I agree with U…!!!
I am glad that they are investing in the health of the world, maybe one day they receive their Nobel prize, I am happy to see people doing these positive things, their success in the life can contribute positively to the health of people. :